Stieg Persson: Polyphonic

Stieg Persson: Polyphonic is an intense and profound retrospective of Melbourne-based contemporary artist Stieg Persson’s impressive thirty-year career. This major exhibition, spanning two floors of the Ian Potter Museum of Art, includes rich, dark paintings, alongside collaged canvases, lithographs and X-ray style photographs. The vast collection features pieces from the early 1980s when Persson first started exhibiting up until the present day.

There’s a humorous and playful element throughout the exhibition, despite the often-heavy subject matter. A closer look reveals the paintings aren’t quite as they seem. Think hunks of meat in the centre of the composition or lone eyes peering out eerily, as though spying from behind the canvas. Peach-coloured blossoms, orchids and gardenias on jet-black backgrounds look lovely and innocent, until you notice the meaty bones lying on the bottom of the canvas.

With a big nod to the history of art, Persson seems to revel in the craft of painting and layering his compositions. His attention to every small, intricate detail is striking. Text features heavily in his work, as well as skeletons and botanical objects. Jagged, edgy patterns in his earlier years make way for calligraphic designs and Chinese- and graffiti-inspired motifs. His work is often monochromatic or feature dark palettes, with pops of bright colour here and there providing contrast.

Persson graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts in 1981 with a Bachelor of Art (Painting) and a Master of Fine Arts in 1998. His work is held in all major Australian galleries, as well as galleries internationally, and in 2003 he won the inaugural Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize. It’s fascinating to see how his style has evolved over the years and how he isn’t afraid to experiment with different techniques.

Curated by Kelly Gellatly and Samantha Comte, Stieg Persson: Polyphonic is an incredible opportunity to view this important artist’s oeuvre in the one space.

Stieg Persson: Polyphonic
The Ian Potter Museum of Art, The University of Melbourne, Swanston Street, Parkville
Till Sunday, 1 June 2025
art-museum.unimelb.edu.au/exhibitions/future-exhibitions/exhib-date/2018-03-27/exhib/stieg-persson-polyphonic